The Art of Looking for Trouble
by rrj2
Summary: A new administration brings new challenges. An FBI director nominee threatens Jed's autonomy over TP affairs and Stephen and Cara are tasked to train the new president's TP granddaughter. Also, stuff happens in the future.
1. Chapter 1

Volume 1: Prologue

Chapter 1

Stern faces greeted Jedikiah Price more often than not when he attended meetings in Washington, DC. This time in the year 2016, however, the atmosphere felt different. Unease and a bit of tension seemed to accompany the glares around the table at which Jed just sat.

"Doctor Price, what is this I hear about John Young having his powers augmented by the blood of your brother?"

The question surprised Jed, and the fact that Jed was caught off guard surprised nearly everyone else in the meeting.

"I need details, please, Dr. Price."

* * *

Thanks for checking out this story.

This story follows my previous story, Part of the Family. I wouldn't want to force anyone to read that so if you haven't read it or just forgot what happened, here's what happened or established in that story and is relevant to this story:

1\. Very powerful TPs are able to move their minds into other people.

2\. When TPs teleport, they go through Limbo but no one knew because of how quick the process is. John was able to slow down the teleportation process enough that he could remain in an undetectable non-corporeal state before full materializing at his destination. Eventually, he slowed the process down further enough that he could spend time in Limbo. During one of his trips to Limbo, he found Roger's mind (because Roger froze time again after Jed shot him) and put Roger's mind into the body of a brain-dead TP friend. By controlling his teleportation in Limbo, John can traverse huge distances quickly and in a single jump.

3\. There was conflict between Jed and The Refuge because of John working for Jed again. Stephen and Cara eventually backed down, but doing so improved relations between everyone. John never got his memories back, but he did recommence his relationship with Astrid. Through her, John resumed his friendships with TPs from The Refuge. John developed Roger's ability to manipulate time.

4\. Luca broke out.

5\. Jed recruited The Red Avengers into an initiative whereby trained TPs monitor activity in every state and train new TPs there. Colloquially, this initiative is called The Avengers Network.

Finally, three warnings about this current story.

1\. I wanted to explain the origin of TP powers. An idea came to me that was completely and ridiculously bonkers. It didn't work. Then, I realized that I should use it _because_ it's crazy.

2\. There are some similarities between my story and real life politics. They're coincidences.

3\. The structure of this story is a bit odd. John and Luca have their own storyline. Jed and Roger have their own storyline. Cara and Stephen have their own storyline. Morgan and Talia have their own storyline. My initial plan was to intercut these storylines into each other. My final plan is to tell each storyline individually and completely and then move on to the next. You should assume that each pair's storyline is happening simultaneously with the other pairs' storylines (except Luca's and John's storyline). Everything will come together at the end.

Thank you again. I hope you enjoy reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Roger, I tracked down a body for you," John announced from the side of the hospital bed in the year 2077. "Last week, thirty-one-year-old Jason Magaha was in a boating accident. He was underwater for too long. He's brain dead, but the rest of his body is okay. I can get his brain working again, but it'll be a shell. It's perfect for you."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Roger replied.

"What?"

"Maybe you should take it. I'm ready to go, John."

"You can't," John said.

"You already gave me another chance with Derek's body. You don't have to do it again."

"Roger . . ."

"I've outlived Jed. I've outlived Marla, been without her for far too long. I've outlived my oldest son, John, and I have no contact with my grandchildren or great grandchildren."

"Stephen didn't want to move to another body because he was too upset about Luca's situation," said John. "That means it's up to you."

"No, John. That means you'll have to understand that I also don't want to move to another body."

"But what about Luca?" asked John. "You've been the one calling the shots. I think the president is going to do something drastic, and I don't know why."

"It's up to you, now."

John sighed. "I'm too old for this."

"And I'm not?"

"I'm too old to do this alone," John corrected.

Roger merely looked at John, letting his face be his answer

"I won't give up on him," John said after a moment of silence.

"I know."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Stephen sat in Jed's office in the year 2017, both of them quiet.

"I think we were lucky," Jed said, finally breaking the silence. "I was able to hold them off for a long time. The administration change helped."

"They still got him," Stephen countered. "That's what I care about."

Roger teleported into the office.

"Finally!" Stephen exclaimed.

"How did it go?" Jed asked.

"They poked and prodded every part of me they could," Roger answered. "Lots of blood work, lots of scans."

"I can't believe I'm grateful that I disposed of your original body after I shot it," said Jed.

"So it's over?" Stephen asked.

"It is for me, but they're just beginning."

"What do you mean?" asked Jed.

"They know now that powers can be transferred. They're going to be studying that and they're going to need more Tomorrow People."

"They're going to be testing our super soldiers," Jed realized.

"Yeah," Roger answered. "We can't stop them. We don't have any say. They work for the Department of Defense and President Heston wants Secretary McNally to continue her original plans."

"What about John?" asked Jed.

"They're still misinformed, and I didn't correct them. They don't know that he had lost his powers. They still think that mine just got added to his."

"Good," Jed said.

"Where is John, anyway?" Stephen asked. "I haven't seen him in a long time. Astrid won't say anything. Sometimes, she just pops out and in like she's the one teleporting, but I know it's John."

"I'll tell you what I've been honestly telling the government," Jed answered. "He's away. I don't know where and I have no way to reach him. No one can contact him."

"We need plausible deniability," Roger explained. "They want John. They want to run tests on him and as long as they want that, John needs to stay hidden."


	4. Chapter 4

Volume 2: John and Luca

Chapter 1

John stood at the northern edge of Gateway State Park in the year 2077. With New York on his left, he looked eastward towards an island situated nearly a mile out and teleported.

Various people looked at John with a mix of awe, curiosity, and caution as John walked around towards a mansion. A youthful-looking man opened the front door and stared at John while a few TPs teleported in between the pair.

"I can't get a read on him," someone commented.

"Stop!" another cried to John. "What do you want?"

"I'm just here to talk to Luca," John replied.

"Let him pass," Luca ordered. "You know you wouldn't be able to stop him."

"Hello, Luca."

"John," Luca acknowledged. He remained at the door. "You could have just teleported to me directly and spared us the drama."

"I wanted to take a look at the island. It's been a while."

"Yeah, I've made a lot of changes since you raised it up for me," Luca replied.

"To yourself as well," John commented.

"It was time. How long has it been since we've seen each other and talked directly?"

"Nearly a decade, I think."

"You haven't changed bodies," Luca remarked.

"I like the one I have. I'm not rushing," John answered. "Luca, your dad is dying. He probably won't last the week."

"I figured you would have found a body for him."

"I did, but he doesn't want it. He's done with life."

Luca sighed, then turned around and walked off.

"Luca?" John asked.

"What am I supposed to do about this? Do you want me to convince him to change his mind?"

"I'm not that optimistic. I just wanted you to know, in case you wanted to say good-bye."

"We haven't been a family in far too long. I don't see why we need to restart now, especially if he's chosen this stupid path."

"Then who's going to be with your dad?" John asked.

"That's up to you, John."

"And your kids and grandchildren? Stephen's kids and grandchildren?"

"They'll stay here," Luca responded. "You can as well; you are always welcome. Just respect my privacy. It's my intention that the open-door policy for TPs to always be in effect, but I'm done with so much else."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 2

"Mr. Young, the White House Chief of Staff on line one."

"Thanks," John replied. "Hello?"

"Mr. Young, I understand that you paid a visit to Luca Jameson yesterday."

"Yes, I did. I wanted to inform him of Roger's condition."

"Anything of note that you saw or discussed?"

"Luca has changed bodies," John answered. "He's also still as stubborn as ever about his powers, not that I can blame him entirely."

"Go back a step. He's in a new body?"

"Yes. He's in the body of another TP."

"Could you gauge his power level?"

"Advanced, but nowhere near where he was before," replied John.

"You've stated before that after moving into another body, a TP is limited to the powers in that body, or lack thereof."

"Yes, with the exception of telepathy," answered John. "A portion of the TP's original telepathic abilities goes with the mind."

"And temporal manipulation?"

"Luca doesn't have that anymore."

"Bottom line: Is Luca vulnerable?"

The question caught John off guard. "What do you mean by that?"

"Can we stop him?"

"Stop what?" John asked. "He's just trying to live peacefully in an island for TPs, lobbying notwithstanding. I don't agree with his position, but he's not a threat."

"As long as that movement continues, it is a threat to American society, and you know that as well as I do."

"That is no justification for ignoring President Hensley's executive order," John countered. "That's where this is headed, right?"

"President Hensley hasn't been in office for a very long time."

"And I haven't been Secretary of Paranormal Affairs for a very long time. I don't answer to you, and I'm not going to be a party to this."

"You don't need to be a part of anything. I think we have what we need. Until next time, Mr. Young."

Days later, John surprised Luca by materializing into the latter's dining room.

"I teleported to you directly this time," John noted. "President Stillson has ordered a strike against your island."

"They can't do that," Luca tried to argue. "They wouldn't be able to get away with it."

"This isn't a sovereign nation you have here, Luca, and this isn't really American soil. As far as the administration is concerned, and this is how they'll defend themselves in public, the TPs here are a threat to national and potentially global security living on unclaimed land that has no diplomatic protection whatsoever. You are dangerous renegades capable of inciting disaster. The president's speechwriter is already writing something to that effect."

"How do you figure that?" Luca asked.

"I was there in the situation room when they were discussing it," John answered. "They were also talking about some provisions of the Kelsey-Marino Act that could justify the attack."

"Why didn't you try to stop them?"

"I wasn't exactly invited. I teleported into the room, but I stopped the materialization process so I wasn't entirely there. I didn't want to be detected."

"Do you know how much is coming?"

"None of you will be able to stop it, even together."

"Then help us," Luca requested after a beat.

John sighed. "One condition."

"Are you serious? You're going to let everyone die here if I don't agree?"

"No, but I will teleport everyone off this island and let it get destroyed."

"Fine, what?"

"Don't retaliate," John answered.

"Are you kidding me?" Luca yelled. "They want to kill us and you don't want me to fight back?"

"I want you to end the fight."

"No."

"Luca, I've been trying to tell you how troubling this movement of yours is. You are cultivating an 'us vs. them' mentality that isn't helping anyone, but you won't listen to me, so I will settle for you simply not retaliating."

John teleported himself and Luca outside, and Luca noticed a group of missiles heading towards his island. He stared at them.

"What will you try first, Luca?" asked John. "Stop them one by one?"

Luca began to breathe heavily and he focused on the missiles.

"Fine!" Luca finally said. "No retaliation."

John diverted the missiles into the Atlantic Ocean, where he disassembled them.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 3

"Mr. Young, the Secretary of Paranormal Affairs is here to see you."

"Send her in. Thanks."

John stood up to greet his visitor. "Secretary Kwon, good afternoon."

"Don't humor me with formalities," Jennifer snapped. "Do you realize the trouble you're in right now? Half of the president's senior staff wants you arrested for treason!"

"Jennifer," John began.

"I'm not done. My own staff has been running around frantically for the past fourteen hours, trying to get a handle on this situation. I certainly didn't endorse the strike and I did everything I could to convince the president against it, but when the decision was made, I toed the line."

"I've been in your situation before," John tried to argue.

"Not to this extent you haven't. What am I supposed to do about this, John? I used up all of my political capital, including what I gained by supporting the strike, to give you the chance to explain yourself."

"There was no way that strike was going to wipe everyone out there," John suggested. "The survivors would have mobilized and struck back. They would have gained the support of TPs that are still on the mainland and then Stillson would have to deal with a civil war from that island and from within. I prevented that."

"Is that why you interfered yesterday?"

"That's my official explanation," John answered. "I think I'm making progress with Luca Jameson and diplomacy might provide a better solution."

"Now that I definitely can't believe; at all. That sounds ridiculous!"

"Not from you, it won't, when you report back to the president."

Jennifer sighed and paced around. "I'm not sure I can sell it."

"Of course you can."

Jennifer approached John. "I heard Roger Jameson passed away this morning."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I know how much he meant to you. Were you with him?"

"I was," John replied. "I made sure he was at peace."

"My parents always spoke highly of him," explained Jennifer. "John, this is me, now. No politics. What are you going to do about Luca? All you've done is prolong the stalemate."

"I don't know yet. Nicholas Hensley allowed for an island to be created to be a sanctuary for TPs. What's changed to make Stillson disregard that order?"

"Stillson is afraid that Luca's speeches and lobbying might be making a difference. I also heard that Luca's researchers can predict with significant confidence before birth the likelihood of someone being a TP. He's keeping that data to himself. Stillson's concerned about what Luca might do. He doesn't think Hensley anticipated any of this."

"That rumor turned out to be inaccurate."

"No one has convinced the president that."

"There has to be something more," John suggested. "That doesn't justify an air strike."

Jennifer shrugged. "Sometimes I wonder if it'd be better if the government knew that a cure is possible. The threat of it would be a better alternative than this."

"I've been doing everything in my power to make sure that stays a secret."

"And there are supposed to be no secrets around you, right? What could Luca hide from you?"

John gave Jennifer an uneasy look.

"What? You told the chief of staff that Luca is less powerful now. Is that not correct?"

"It's correct," John answered. "The change is rather drastic for Luca. I can tell that he's still adjusting."

"If he was able to resist you before, surely he can't do so now," Jennifer suggested.

"I could have read his mind in his old body, even if he was the second most powerful one of us."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I never tried," replied John.

"What?"

"I wanted to respect his privacy."

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Yeah, civil rights are nice and great, but we don't have time for that right now," Jennifer argued.

"I'm not doing it," John said, knowing where the conversation was headed.

"Fine, but can you at least do one of your telekinetic scans across the island? You might uncover something. I assume you haven't done that, either."

"Yeah, and no, I haven't."

"You might be right about something else happening. I'll dig around. I think your old friend Wes Jarvis can help."

"Yeah, he has the connections," John answered.

Later that evening, John teleported himself to Luca's island but halted the materialization process in order to remain undetected in a non-corporeal form. John closed his eyes and scanned the area. After several minutes, he teleported himself to an underground room and came face to face with a large machine.

John felt around the machine and became alarmed when he sensed traces of Limbo, indicating its use. John teleported into Limbo and walked around. He came across eight people lying on the ground, one experiencing spasms.

John teleported the latter to an emergency room and then teleported himself to his office. He whipped out his phone and called Jennifer.

"John," Jennifer acknowledged without waiting for John to say anything. "I put you on speakerphone. I have Wes here and I've uncovered something big."

"That's what I was about to say," John replied.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 4

Jennifer and Wes teleported to John's office.

"My father told me about the Founder's machine before," Jennifer explained.

"That machine needed a power source," said Wes. "Stephen and his dad powered it and now Luca's in a less powerful body. Who else is there?"

"No one except me," answered John. "I'd know if there was anyone. Apparently, Luca doesn't need a strong power source for this purpose with normal humans. Some of the machine parts are different from what I remember, too. That could explain it."

"You used to take Esther there a lot without problems. Why are people dying there now?" Wes asked.

"Astrid's the name and I don't know yet," answered John. "Maybe my proximity to her protected her."

"Luca could kill a lot of people," Jennifer realized.

"What did you find out?" asked John. "You said you two found something."

"After sixty years, the government finally found a way to give people temporary TP powers," Jennifer answered.

"Two weeks ago, Luca led a group of TPs and they ransacked a lab," Wes added. "They probed the scientists' minds and took everything. All the work, data, samples, formulas, and prototypes. Everything and everyone, including the scientists themselves."

"How many?" asked John.

"Eight," Jennifer answered. "I'm guessing they are the ones you saw in Limbo."

"Probably," John replied. "They weren't in Limbo long, so Luca must have mined them for more information during the past two weeks."

"Well, we have our answer," Jennifer commented. "Either of these would give Stillson enough reason to turn against Luca. Both together make Luca a global security threat. I think the White House could have figured out that Luca purchased machine parts. Stillson has been maintaining satellite surveillance and trying to keep track of shipments there."

"Given all this, I'm actually surprised the government waited so long to act," Wes commented.

"I should have been aware of this. Stillson must be trusting me less," said Jennifer.

John frowned and looked outside.

"What is it?" Wes asked.

"Something big's happening. I can feel it."

Jennifer and Wes looked at each other, worried.

"I think our digging might have set off some figurative alarms," Wes reckoned.

"With Luca or the president?" asked John.

"By now, both probably know what we did," answered Jennifer.

"The machine's been activated," John sensed.

John teleported into Limbo. His mouth dropped as he saw hundreds of people scattered in a panic.

"Everyone stay calm!" John yelled. "My name is John Young and I can get you back home!"

"Where are we?" someone asked.

"How did we get here?" someone else inquired.

Instead of answering, John closed his eyes and teleported everyone out of Limbo. He then teleported to Jennifer and Wes, and then teleported with them to Luca.

"You figured it out?" Luca asked.

"You promised me that you wouldn't retaliate!" John yelled.

"This wasn't retaliation. This was the plan all along."

"The scientists you kidnapped, why did they die in Limbo?" asked John. "I know that you know. They must have found out what would happen if they went to Limbo."

Luca smiled. "What makes you think I'd tell you?"

Luca tried to teleport away, only for John to inhibit his ability.

"I don't, but making the thought salient saves us time."

"What is it?" Jennifer asked.

"Prolonged exposure to traces of the TP formula; not enough to give them powers, but enough to confuse the human body and trigger a deadly immunological response in Limbo."

"How did you get it into other people?" Wes asked Luca.

"He contaminated the water supply," explained John.

"John, people have just been sent to Limbo, right?" Wes asked. "You got them all out?"

"Yeah," John answered. "There were hundreds."

"Let me go, John," Luca demanded.

"Be quiet."

"You've sealed off access to Limbo before," Wes stated. "You effectively prevented anyone from teleporting. You could do that again."

"It doesn't matter," Jennifer said. "This was already done. Everyone will know what Luca has done. This is it."

Wes cursed at the implications.

"War against TPs is coming," John quietly said.

"And we will win," said Luca.

"Not you, Luca," John threatened. "You won't be a part of this."

"What are you going to do? Kill me? Take away this body's powers?"

"I'm locking you up in the one place where you can't do any more harm," John answered. Using a combination of telekinesis and telepathy, John grabbed Luca's consciousness.

"What are you doing?" Luca cried.

John pulled Luca's mind towards him and ultimately pushed Luca into himself.

Jennifer and Wes looked in astonishment.

"John?" Jennifer asked.

"I'm fine," John answered after a beat. "I've suppressed him. He can't do anything anymore."

"That's not going to be enough to avert catastrophe," Jennifer warned.

"I know," John said. "You're right; the damage is done. It's all over now. I can telepathically hear the frantic phone calls that people are making right now."

"What are we going to do?" asked Wes.

"I have an idea. I've never tried anything like this before and I don't even know if I can do it or what will happen if I succeed, but it's the only idea I have."


	8. Chapter 8

Volume 3: Jed and Roger

Chapter 1

Four super-soldier TPs joined the meeting between Jed and the Department of Defense in 2017. They kept their gaze on Jed during the meeting. Two politicians also attended the meeting.

"Senator Kelsey, good to see you again," Jed acknowledged.

"Hello, Dr. Price," Kelsey responded. "This is Nicholas Hensley, a new Congressman from North Carolina."

"Congratulations, Congressman. This must be intriguing territory for you."

"It definitely wasn't what I was expecting," Hensley admitted. "The name of the committee doesn't really attract a lot of interest."

"It wasn't meant to be appealing," Jed commented. "The previous Congress intentionally padded the committee with what are essentially dummy responsibilities."

"Yes, I understand that. Otherwise, a new Congressman like me would never have been able to get onto it the way I did."

"Have you met Wes Jarvis or Lori Sookdeo yet?"

"I've met Ms. Sookdeo."

"Shall we get started?" General Gray asked the room. "Dr. Price, our researchers concluded that there's nothing left of Roger Jameson's old body in his current body."

"Yes, I could have told you that," Jed replied. "In fact, I believe I did."

Two of the TPs frowned as they tried to read Jed's mind.

"And to repeat, you've disposed of your brother's original body, right?"

"Yes, General Gray," Jed answered.

"Why?"

"Why wouldn't I? I was about to die, either because of the Founder's machine or because Ultra agents were coming to kill me. The last thing I could do was give my brother a farewell he deserved."

The TPs continued to glare at Jed.

"You didn't know that Mr. Jameson's mind was still alive?"

"No, there was no way for me to know that," Jed answered. "I'm not a telepath."

"We haven't been able to replicate the power transference," General Gray noted.

"I'm going to stop you right there," Jed interrupted. "I've given you all my data. If that can't help you, then neither can any more of my time, so how about we spare me of this?"

"Fine," Gray relented.

"What have you tried so far?"

"Our researchers have developed three serums from the super soldiers and tested them on volunteers. The results haven't been encouraging."

Jed nodded.

"Where is Mr. Young?"

Jed looked at the four TPs in the room.

" _Oh, for crying out loud_ ," Jed thought to the TPs. " _Go in my head and look around yourself._ "

"I still don't know," Jed answered aloud. "I haven't had any contact with him in months and I have no way of initiating contact. No one on the planet can."

General Gray looked at the TPs who nodded.

"Okay," General Gray said to Jed. "I just wanted an update."

"No, you wanted to verify this information in the presence of TPs who can tell you if I'm lying or not," Jed counted. "It's understandable, but let's keep moving on."

"We will need to continue our research with power transference," General Gray announced. "The implications are endless and we'd like to draw more samples from a larger pool of TPs."

"You have a lot of super soldiers. What difference will more make?"

"There's apparently something to be said about statistics," General Gray answered. "I didn't quite understand it myself, but I trust my scientists."

"I'll have to get back to you about that."

After the meeting, a TP that attended the meeting approached Jed at the airport.

"Chris," Jed acknowledged.

"I'm sorry about that, Dr. Price," said Chris. "We were instructed to read your mind. We didn't have a choice."

"Like I said at the meeting, it's understandable."

"There was a huge debate between the four of us about this. Tubbs convinced us to obey."

"Don't worry about it," Jed tried to assure.

"There's something else, Dr. Price. I overhead some people talking about the FBI monitoring the Avengers Network and the CIA monitoring the super soldiers. They've be given a lot of authority."

Jed sighed and cursed under his breath. "Thanks, Chris."

"You really don't know where John is, do you?"

"Not exactly, and you know I was telling the truth when I said no one can reach him. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had to take a plane here."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 2

Jed and Roger hesitantly welcomed four people into their building.

"We both knew that things could change with Heston getting elected," Roger quietly said.

"I know," Jed responded.

"Dr. Price, Dr. Jameson, I'm Janelle Lopakus and this is Douglas Hankey. We're with the FBI."

"Nice to meet you," Roger responded.

"I'm Gary Cheng and this is Maggie Kello; we're your CIA liaisons."

"Welcome," said Jed. "I believe you two wanted to be briefed first?"

"Yes," Maggie answered. "Gary and I have a flight soon heading to the Middle East. We'll meet up with the super soldiers there."

"I don't suppose you've been in contact with John Young, have you?" Gary asked.

Jed rolled his eyes. "No, not since the last time I was asked."

"Too bad," Gary said. "We would have appreciated a shorter trip."

Jed and Roger briefed the liaisons on the TPs abroad and in the Avengers Network and the daily routines of both groups.

The CIA liaisons then left, leaving the FBI liaisons.

"I'm concerned about Jonathan Mudd in Idaho. One prior for drug possession, another for shoplifting."

"He's served his time," Jed countered.

"Now he's getting his second chance," Roger added. "He's making the most of it. Isn't that the point of the justice system?"

"We expect higher standards for people working for us," said Douglas.

"He doesn't work for you; he works for us," Jed argued.

"As long as the Avengers Network operates under the auspices of the federal government, the Avengers are its representatives in the field."

"That's an interesting way to describe the government's involvement," Roger commented.

"Are you representing the federal government now?" Jed asked.

"We are concerned - "

"Never mind," Jed interrupted. "Has the FBI been given authority over staffing?"

"Drug charges - "

"Has the FBI been given authority over staffing?" Jed repeated.

"No," Douglas relented. "However, we are concerned - "

"Rich Myles is keeping an eye on Jonathan and making sure that everything runs smoothly in Idaho. I have complete confidence in both Rich and Jonathan. They've proven themselves well so until you have human resources authority, let's move on. I'm not going to fix what isn't broken, particularly in a state with a limited TP population. Do you have any other concerns not related to staffing?"

"There have been no reports indicating that the general public has become knowledgeable about TPs. We're grateful for that. What measures has the Network taken to ensure this continues?"

"The Avengers continue to receive training and guidance," Roger answered. "We stress the importance of secrecy every time we meet for these reasons. When we or the Avengers follow up with TPs in the general population, they are also reminded every time of our protocols."

"Good," Janelle said. "We'd like second bases set up in California, Texas, and Florida to account for their larger populations. We'd also like you to consider Ohio, Pennsylvania, and upstate New York."

"We'll think about it. Is that all?"

"That's all we have."

Jed called on the intercom for Dave, who entered.

"Show Janelle and Douglas their offices, please."

"Sure," Dave answered as he ushered the liaisons away.

Jed looked at Roger and shook his head.

"You'd think that training Meredith Heston would instill a little more trust in us," Jed commented.

"More like it's given them more reason to make sure everything is running tightly," Roger responded.

"At least your aren't getting any more comments and questions about your young appearance."

"No complaints here about that."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 3

Jed proceeded through a security checkpoint at The Pentagon noticing that D-chips had been aesthetically modified to blend in better with the walls of the building.

An assistant ushered Jed into the Secretary of Defense's office.

"Dr. Price, please sit."

"Secretary McNally; I don't think we've spoken since the president decided to keep you on," Jed said as he sat across from the Secretary. "Congratulations are in order, I suppose."

"Thank you. Based on what I've been hearing, I assume you're not too thrilled about that."

"You know that I have the utmost respect for you and your credentials even before joining the cabinet. I've enjoyed working with you."

"But you don't agree with the course of action I've taken with the Tomorrow People."

"No, I do not," Jed admitted.

"You would prefer having one person in New York dictate the policies and actions of the Tomorrow People."

"Not exactly," Jed countered after a pause. "I just think the system works better under one qualified leadership. The Avengers in the United States are beginning to get confused about whether they should be reporting to me or to the FBI. That impacts their ability to work."

"I understand," Secretary McNally responded. "I, however, have to look at the bigger picture. It's important to President Heston and to his predecessor that multiple agencies are able to work together for the benefit of Tomorrow People. That's why I reached out to the FBI and CIA. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Jed responded after a beat.

"The CIA and I have an agreement that my generals have the final say in The Middle East. If the CIA wants a Tomorrow Person on a special assignment, that request goes through me. The FBI is a different story. Legally, they can argue that they have the final say over domestic matters and The Avengers Network does operate across state lines. Dr. Price, I have a lot of respect for you and your credentials and once things settle down with this new administration, the two of us will work closer on TP affairs outside this country. I've enjoyed working with you, too."

"I appreciate that," Jed replied.

"I'm not a threat to your agenda. The FBI will give you some trouble. President Heston is announcing his nominee for FBI director tomorrow, and I expect him to pursue a very hard line with TP affairs."

Jed looked at Secretary McNally expectantly, but McNally only returned the look.

"Are you going to make me ask?" Jed asked.

"Yes, and you're going to have to promise to keep it to yourself. You can't even think about it once you leave this office, no matter how skilled you are at shielding your thoughts."

"Fine," Jed relented. "Who is the president nominating? I promise I won't discuss or think about any of this until after the announcement."

"Adam Garcia."

"Nebraska?" asked Jed with a hint of irritation.

"That's him. He used to be a lawyer for the FBI."

"I know," said Jed.

"He's going to get confirmed easily. That's why the acting director has been taking charge. She's implementing his plans so they'll be in place when he is confirmed."

"He was being very difficult when Roger and I were setting up an Avengers station in Nebraska, despite the support I had."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"Do you know where Garcia is in the meantime?"

"He's staying at the Watergate Hotel this week for the announcement."

"Thanks. Now, about the research into powers . . ."

"President Heston wants the FBI to take charge of that."

"What?" Jed asked.

"I have a lot on my plate right now so Garcia will have full authority over the research."

"Fantastic," Jed sarcastically commented. "I really wish Sweeney didn't resign."

"I tried to convince her to stay, but she was tired of the politics."

"Not you?" Jed asked.

"I don't have the luxury of being tired enough to leave."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 4

"I'm not surprised, Jed," Roger said over the phone. "She was a U.N. Ambassador. She ought to be good at diplomacy."

"I'm here," Jed said. He acknowledged Adam Garcia and Nicholas Hensley upon entering a restaurant and sat at their table. "I'll call you back."

"Dr. Price."

"Mr. Garcia. Congressman Hensley, I'm surprised to see you here."

"Like I said, Dr. Price, I'm interested in TP affairs. This seemed like a conversation that I'd be interested in," Hensley responded. "I hope you don't mind me joining."

"Of course not," replied Jed.

After a waiter took everyone's orders, Jed and Garcia were eager to get to the point of the meeting.

"Thanks for meeting with me so soon," Jed told Garcia.

"It's no problem. I've been wanting to talk with you and I have some time between meetings with senators. Anyway, I'm going to need a list of all TPs in your organization, including the Refuge and the Avengers."

"What?"

"I'd like to know who will be working for me."

"They won't be working for you," Jed countered. "We have the support of the government, but don't work for it, except for the super soldiers."

"They're under my jurisdiction."

"That's irrelevant. Everyone in the country is."

"That's not what I meant," Garcia responded. "I'm going to have agents looking in on Avengers operations. You've met the liaisons."

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, they don't need to be there."

Garcia sighed. "I'm very surprised by this attitude of yours. Why are you trying to protect them after everything you did at Ultra?"

"I was working behind the scenes at Ultra to undermine it," Jed explained.

"Do you expect everyone to believe that?"

"Guys," Hensley tried to intervene.

"I also need to start drawing samples from all the TPs we can get," Garcia added.

Jed's facial expression grew cold. "You were a prosecutor, then FBI lawyer, and now Attorney General for Nebraska. At what point was the concept of civil rights not a part of your thought processes?"

"This is a matter of national security," Garcia tried to argue. "We're still looking into how powers can be acquired."

"How is power development a matter of national security?"

"If anyone can figure out how to give people powers permanently, that's an issue."

"And if no one figures it out, then there's no threat to national security and no one will figure it out."

"What makes you so sure about that?" Garcia asked.

"Not to sound arrogant, but if I can't, I'm not sure anyone can."

"And yet, you have your new wife looking into the origins of TPs, like there's something else to learn."

"Are you sure you want to bring my wife into this?"

"Guys, it doesn't look like we're going to come to an agreement here and this conversation is getting rather loud," Hensley tried to argue. "Perhaps this topic would be better discussed after confirmation and after the president explicitly explains what the parameters of oversight will be."

Jed and Garcia relented and drank their waters in tense silence.

"National security," Jed murmured with disgust in his voice and an eye roll.

"It is," Garcia countered.

"Do you expect everyone to believe that?"

"Well," Hensley began.

"Please be quiet, Congressman," Garcia interrupted. "There's a reason we met. Let's not waste the occasion. You know I'm going to get confirmed and the acting director is already setting things up for me so I can hit the ground running after confirmation. She's the one who sent the FBI liaisons to you."

"Yeah, I know Erika Dorian."

"Well, I'm interested in learning more about the sociological implications of powers," Hensley stated.

"How so?" Jed asked.

"For example, what was life like at the Refuge when they were all outcasts in hiding compared to life at the Refuge when things are a bit more stable now?"

Jed and Hensley continued a long conversation in which Jed answered all of Hensley's questions. Eventually, Jed flew back to New York.

Jed practically stomped into his office building where Roger was.

"There is no way that they can force the Avengers to provide biological samples," Roger claimed.

"No, there's not, but I think we will have to give up a list of TPs we know and Garcia will assign more and more agents to monitor us."

Stephen arrived and noticed the tone of the conversation.

"What's wrong?" Stephen asked.

"It looks like the FBI is taking control over some of our operations, or aim to, or will eventually get there. Something," Roger tried to explain.

"And that's not the worst part," Jed said.

"What else is there?" asked Stephen.

"Garcia admitted that they are trying to create a serum to remove powers. They need more research to perfect it, and that'll be another application of the data they want."

"Is there anything you can do about that?" Stephen asked.

"No," Jed answered. "This is all being decided by the FBI, president, and DoD. We and that congressional committee are just additional players. Heston will make the rules and he has no oversight as long as . . ."

Jed looked at Roger.

"What?" Stephen asked.

"Really?" Roger asked, knowing what Jed was thinking.

"What?" Stephen repeated.

"The best way to get the president to answer to more people is if we're no longer a secret," Roger answered.

"Let's set up a meeting with New Jersey and Pennsylvania," said Jed. "We need to go public."

Meanwhile, in Limbo, John Young was passing the time by reading. He suddenly felt a powerful presence near him.

"John!" a voice called.

John looked around, until he noticed the vague outline of an old man.

"Reach out to me, John. Be my anchor."

The outline developed clearer features and John soon realized that he was looking at himself.

"I've sent my mind far as back as I could. I think this will work."

"What will?" the younger John asked.

"Jed is about to make a huge mistake. You need to stop him."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 5

In Limbo, the older John explained the events leading to the air strike on Luca's island and the teleportation of the normal humans.

"But, it's Luca," the younger John said. "I don't understand."

"I know. It looked like he accepted being a TP easily at first, but the pressures eventually got to him. When we went public, he took the ostracism the hardest and Sophie's murder made him unhinged. I think that was the point without return."

"Okay," the younger John said. "I'll convince Jed not to go public, but then what happens? If this changes the future, what will happen to you?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll cease to exist. I don't know."

"If you cease to exist," the young John began.

"How would I come back and tell you about this? I don't understand time travel, but I know that when I was younger, I didn't get a visit from my older self. This is something new, and it's definitely happening."

"Okay," the younger John said. "I'll go find Jed."

"Wait. There's something I'd like to do."

"What?" asked the younger John asked.

"The other reason why I came back. I want to give you my memories - all of them."

"Why?"

"I've been working on transferring consciousnesses for other people. If I had more time, I think I could help a less strong TP or may even a non-TP do it. I've been trying so hard to master this."

"You're talking about Jed."

"Yeah, and also Marla. When she was dying, I did the best I could, but her mind couldn't handle it. After all this time, it's still us, Roger, Luca, and the Founder. I'm certain Stephen could do it, but there's no one else. I'm close. I just need time. I was too busy dealing with the fallout after we went public. I was too busy for this, and too busy for Astrid."

The older John temporarily blinked out and in of Limbo.

"What's happening?" the younger John asked.

"I'm pushing my limits. I can't stay here much longer."

The older John grabbed the sides of his younger counterpart's head and the two touched foreheads.

"I'm sure there's going to be an unintended consequence of this," the older John stated.

"All of my memories, I assume."

"Yes, that's my assumption as well. I'm missing the same memories you are. I think you'll get them back."

"If you think we should do this, then do it," said the younger John.

The older John pushed his memories into the younger John. The younger John then fell over onto the ground in Limbo, unconscious.

The older John keeled over because of the effort and began to vanish. His eyes suddenly widened in horror. "John, wake up! Something's wrong! John! I didn't mean for - "

The older John disappeared without finishing the sentence, leaving the younger John asleep and unaware of the warning.

The next day, Jed, Roger, Stephen, Cara, Russell, Talia, and two TPs from Pennsylvania held a meeting.

"Are you really sure this is a good idea?" Russell asked.

"I think it's the only option we have left," Jed answered. "If we go public, then our operations go public. Everyone will know about Hensley's subcommittee, the Middle East missions, the research, all of it. Garcia and Heston will have to answer to a lot of people, including the rest of Congress. There will be more accountability and that takes administrative power away from Heston and Garcia."

"Going public is just a matter of time, anyway," Roger noted. "There's no way we will remain a secret forever, and at least with this plan, we have control."

"I'm afraid this will backfire," Cara stated. "The government isn't going to like this."

"I think they had at least anticipated it happening one day soon," Jed answered.

"What makes you think that?" Talia asked.

"The Secretary of Defense," Jed answered. "She was a national security advisor, ambassador to the United Nations, and my primary contact at the federal level. Why would a Republican like Heston keep a high-level cabinet member from a Democratic administration he just beat in an ugly election unless she had the national security experience and diplomatic background to deal with TPs going public? That has to be why Heston is keeping her on. He thinks TPs becoming public knowledge is a possibility and he's needs someone who will be prepared to handle it. He needed the continuity."

"She does strike me as someone who could pull some serious strings," Roger commented,

Sudden teleportation energy drew everyone's attention and John appeared before the group.

"John," Jed acknowledged. He approached and hugged John. "What's going on?" He noticed hesitation in John's posture, but let it remain unmentioned.

"I sort of had a visitor," John answered.

"Who'd be able to do that?" Russell asked. "I thought only you could stay there."

"Yeah, I was that visitor."

John explained to the group about what he had learned from his future self, but refrained from telling them that his older self had transferred his memories.

"So, now what?" Stephen asked. "What are our options if we can't go public?"

"I don't know," Jed answered.

"We also have a Meredith situation to deal with soon, too," Cara suggested.

"Yeah, this just keeps getting better and better," Jed commented. "I hate politics."


	13. Chapter 13

Volume 4: Cara and Stephen

Chapter 1

Cara and Stephen sat in a meeting room in the White House in 2017, taking in the environment with wide eyes.

"How come we never teleport into places like these?" Stephen asked.

Cara glanced at Stephen with smile. "Really?"

"Yeah, bad idea," Stephen realized.

"There are probably D-chips around here, anyway," said Cara.

"Not in this room," Stephen noticed.

"Did you ever ask your uncle why us and not Russell and Talia?"

"He said some stuff, but I think it just came down to him knowing me better and him knowing how empathetic you are."

Cara and Stephen stood up when two people entered the room.

"Hi, I'm Ross Heston."

"Cara Coburn, nice to meet you."

"Stephen Jameson."

"This is my daughter Meredith," said Ross.

Everyone shook hands and Stephen noticed two secret service agents outside the door.

"Out of curiosity," Stephen began.

"Meredith will have one agent with her at all times. Secret Service Director Coradetti has decided, though, that if you need to do teleportation training, you can do so without the agent, but don't stay away for too long. That decision took a whole lot of convincing."

"That'll work," Cara said. "Thanks."

"Our assumption is that you all could provide better protection anyway, especially if you maintain the protocols about secrecy," Ross stated.

"Yeah, my uncle Jed mentioned that the Secret Service might start hiring TPs."

"And you two are still willing to come to Millburn?" asked Ross.

"Yes, definitely," Cara answered. "It's just a quick hop for us."

Ross motioned for everyone to sit down.

"I didn't want to get too far into this without thanking you all for being willing to help Meredith," said Ross.

"This is what we do," Cara responded. "Granted, the president's granddaughter is a bit more high profile than other TPs at the Refuge, but the three Ts are all the same."

"For the most part," Stephen added with a smile. "So, Meredith, are you nervous about being a TP?"

"Yes," Meredith admitted.

"Well, that's okay," Cara said. "You don't have to be nervous because we're going to teach you and take care of you, but it's perfectly fine to be nervous."

"It's human to be nervous," Stephen added. "Regardless of our powers, we are still human and will always be human."

"And it's good that you're honest with us," Cara said. "We've all been through this. We really do understand how you feel. It's important to tell us how you feel so we can train you the best we can and be there for you in other ways when you need us."

"We heard that you learned to tune out other people's thoughts by yourself," Stephen stated.

"Yes, it took a while, but I'm managing."

"That's a great first step. Not a lot of people can do that by themselves," said Cara.

"When are you planning on going back to Millburn?" Stephen asked Ross.

"Tonight," Ross answered. "Would next weekend be a good time to start training?"

"Absolutely," Cara answered.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 2

Cara and Stephen sat at a table in a basement opposite Meredith Heston.

"Close your eyes and focus on the both of us in front of you," Cara said.

Stephen thought of an image of a spoon while Cara thought of the word fork.

"Think about us in front of you and focus on us," Stephen said.

"Are you picking anything up from us?" Cara asked. "Is there anything?"

"A fork," Meredith answered.

"Great," Cara commented. "That's me. That's what I was thinking about."

"Now, focus on me," Stephen instructed. "Think about me and how I might be perceiving the world. What would I be seeing?"

"Me?" Meredith answered hesitantly.

"Reach out to me the same way you did before, but focus on me a bit more."

"I see a spoon," Meredith said after a few beats.

"You got it," said Cara. "That's the basis of controlled, intentional telepathy. We'll keep working on this first, then move on to the other Ts."

"Do you know how powerful I'll be?"

"It's hard to say," Stephen answered. "Power comes with practice, of course, and the older you get, the more powerful you'll become. Also, TPs who have one or two TP parents are usually more powerful."

"Oh," Meredith quietly remarked, with a slight tone of disappointment.

"Don't worry about that, you can be plenty powerful on your own merits if you want," Cara said.

"Not that power should be a concern of yours," Stephen added.

"Nope," Cara agreed. "Let's focus on making you well adjusted, first. Now, we're going to do the same thing, but I want you to focus on only me."

"While you're doing that, I'm going to be thinking about a lot of things," Stephen said. "Try to focus on only Cara and ignore me."

"Are you ready?" Cara asked. "Let's go."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 3

Stephen and Cara waited in the foyer of the Heston household in Millburn, New Jersey.

" _I'm coming!_ " a thought projected.

Meredith suddenly appeared in the second floor hallway and ran down to meet her instructors.

"Did you hear me?" Meredith asked.

"We heard you," Cara answered.

"You've been practicing on your own," Stephen realized.

"Yeah. I've been reading my parents' minds a lot, but I get out when it sounds like they're having really private thoughts."

Stephen shrugged at Cara. "At least it's some restraint."

Cara smiled.

"Would you be interested in some shopping?" Stephen asked.

Later, Cara, Stephen, and Meredith walked through a mall accompanied by a secret service agent.

"I'm going to point to someone," Cara explained. "You tell me what's on their minds."

"I'll read them beforehand to make sure we aren't intruding too much," Stephen added.

The exercised commenced with Meredith meeting Stephen's and Cara's expectations.

After several minutes, Meredith's attention shifted enough that Cara and Stephen both noticed.

"Who's that?" Cara asked, referring to a middle-aged man who just left a clothing store.

"Mr. Henriquez," Meredith answered. "Brian Henriquez. He's my history teacher."

Stephen and Cara noticed that Meredith was staring at Brian intently.

"Are you . . . reading him?" Stephen asked.

Meredith ignored the question. "Can we dig into other people's minds? Like their memories?"

"That they're not actively thinking about?" Stephen asked.

Cara looked at Stephen with concern in her eyes.

"Yeah," Meredith answered.

"It's possible, but difficult," Stephen answered.

"It's not something you'd want to try," Cara warned Meredith. "Invading someone's mind like that is an invasion of privacy far beyond what we've been practicing. Even if you could do it, it takes an incredible amount of skill to go directly to what you want to read without going through other private thoughts."

"Having trouble in history class?" Stephen asked.

"How'd you guess? Did you read that in my head?" Meredith asked.

"Nope, it just makes sense."

"Do you use your telepathy in school?" Cara asked.

"Just a little bit, I admit."

"Well, we're not going to judge you for trying to get ahead in class, but do be respectful of other people's privacy, including your teachers'," Stephen advised. "And obey the law."

Cara shot Stephen an exasperated look. "Let's continue our exercise."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 4

Stephen and Cara were woken up by Stephen's cell phone.

"It's Uncle Jed," Stephen quietly told Cara.

"This can't be good," Cara commented.

"Hello?"

"Stephen! Meredith Heston isn't with you, is she?"

"No," Stephen replied. "We haven't seen her since around 5 yesterday."

"Her father just called me. She's missing."

"Does he think she teleported?" Stephen asked.

"Her father is very protective. Teleporting is the only method she has of sneaking out."

"Okay. I'll head over to New Jersey now."

"Keep me posted."

Stephen got up and dressed himself and Cara joined him.

"You don't have to come," Stephen told Cara. "There's no reason why both of us need to make the trip and lose sleep."

"We can cover more ground if I go, too."

Cara and Stephen soon arrived in Millburn wearing dark hoodies.

"You got an overachiever vibe from Meredith, right?" Cara asked.

"Yeah. School first?"

Stephen and Cara arrived at Meredith's school and immediately felt her presence.

"So much for needing to cover more ground," Stephen commented.

"It's fine. I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway."

The pair teleported into a classroom, where they found Meredith rummaging through a desk.

"You scared me!" Meredith complained.

"And you scared a lot of people by sneaking out of your house," Cara countered.

"What are you doing?" Stephen asked, despite having already figured out the answer.

"We have a test in a couple days and I'm not ready. My teacher assigned a paper at the same time and I've been trying to do the stupid paper and study."

"That's Lauren O'Dea," Stephen quietly commented.

"You know my teacher?"

"Yes, but that's not important right now. Meredith, I'll admit to having used the three Ts to help myself in school but there's a line," Stephen said. "You can't trespass or sneak out of your house like this."

"This was illegal and we told you what consequences there are for Tomorrow People who use their powers irresponsibly," warned Cara.

"My grandfather wouldn't let that happen."

"That doesn't mean it's okay!" Cara argued. "Your grandfather definitely wouldn't think so."

"We need to be the best people we can be, Meredith," Stephen said. "Governments are looking at TPs now to see if we can be trusted. They will react based on what they see in us and their reactions will shape TP policies that will outlive your grandfather's term or terms in office."

"Okay," Meredith said. "I won't do this again. I want to go home now."

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Stephen asked.

"No."

Cara put an arm around Meredith's shoulders and she and Stephen accompanied Meredith home and then returned to Stephen's room.

"She's going to be trouble," Stephen commented.

"Yeah," Cara agreed. "That was too easy. I didn't believe her at all."

Two days later, Stephen and Cara returned to Millburn to train Meredith.

"How many jumps did it take for you to get to your school?" Stephen asked Meredith.

"Five."

"Did you digress at all? Unintentionally change directions?" asked Cara.

"Twice."

"Okay," Cara replied. "Let's improve that. We'll work on teleportation today."

"Do either of you know where John Young is?"

Cara and Stephen looked at each other.

"My uncle's been getting that question a lot. Why do you ask? Did your grandfather ask you to ask us?"

"No, but you said he's the most powerful TP there is. I want to be like him, so I was hoping to meet him."

"We're not sure where he is, exactly," Cara answered. "Jed said that no one knows or can reach him."

"Oh, okay," Meredith replied.

"Don't concern yourself with power, Meredith," Stephen suggested. "You have some amazing gifts. You can take them far enough without worrying about how you compare to other TPs."

Training continued with Stephen and Cara testing how many jumps Meredith could make within a short timeframe.

Eventually, Cara and Stephen returned to New York.

"I officially, finally, dislike her," Stephen said.

"Same here," Cara agreed.

"I would have thought something to you, but Meredith probably doesn't respect anyone's privacy."

"We need to keep going, though," stated Cara.

"Yeah, I know."

"She's impressionable. We need to do what we can to keep her from crossing the line."

"Do you think we can prevent that?" Stephen asked.

Stephen didn't get an answer or feel like pressing the issue.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 5

Meredith waited until two students left Lauren O'Dea's classroom before entering.

"Ms. O'Dea?"

"Hi, Meredith. Come in. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, but I'm concerned about my grade on this paper."

"You earned a B-. I remember."

"I think I earned something higher."

"I don't think you supported your arguments well enough. Did you read the comments I wrote in the margins?"

Meredith held out her paper. "Yes, but I still think I deserve a higher grade."

"Look at this paragraph here," Lauren said. "You started talking about historical trends, but then shifted to a different topic. There was a lot more you could have discussed there. You should have gone into much greater detail. I think I graded this assignment generously because I knew you all were preparing for the test, too. Your grade is fair."

" _You will raise my grade_ ," Meredith thought to Lauren.

Lauren let a second pass in silence. "Meredith, you are doing above average in my class. You're doing well."

"I want to do better," Meredith replied. " _Give me a better grade!_ "

Lauren sighed. "Telepathy doesn't work that way. You can't control other people's thoughts, and that's inappropriate and irresponsible anyway."

Meredith took a couple seconds to compose herself.

"I'm not changing your grade."

Meredith let out a frustrated sigh and then lashed out at the desks near her, sending them and several chairs across the room. Seeing the damage she caused, Meredith ran away.

Sensing other people approaching, Lauren teleported away to avoid questions and to be able to later deny knowledge of what happened.


	18. Chapter 18

Volume 5: Morgan and Talia

Chapter 1

"This is Angela Secules of Salt Lake City, Utah," Talia told Morgan in 2017. She handed Morgan a folder with some biographical details. "She was born Angela Briner. She claimed that when she was eleven, she saw her mother disappear."

"When did she say this happened?" Morgan asked.

"September, 1934," Talia answered. "She couldn't remember a specific date."

"Rebecca Briner," Morgan read. "This says Angela is at The Point Grace Nursing Center in Salt Lake City. I'll make some calls. Do you want to come along?"

"I might as well," Talia replied. "According to the information I found, she moved to the nursing home after a fall. Her mental health is supposed to be fine, but I'm still doubtful of how reliable her memories could be."

"We knew this would be a possibility as we went further back. We'll record someone teleporting away and then edit it to make it look like it was a computer-generated effect. "


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 2

Morgan and Talia entered The Point Grace Nursing Center in business attire and eventually met with Angela Secules in a private room.

"Thank you so much again for meeting us," Morgan said. "This is Talia, my research assistant. As I said on the phone, we are conducting research on paranormal phenomena and your story seemed very interesting. Would you mind telling us more about what you saw with your mother?"

"What university did you say you're from?" Angela asked.

"Succoth Crest University."

"I've never heard of that before."

"It's a new online school," Morgan replied.

"It's very advanced and modern," Talia added.

"Oh . . . okay. I remember it was late and I finished my chores. I went to kiss my mother before going to bed so I walked to her room. My little sister was sleeping, so I was very quiet. I peered into my mother's bedroom and saw her vanish. That's all I remember."

Noticing that Morgan was slightly distracted, Talia showed Angela a video clip on her phone of Russell teleporting. "When she vanished, did it look anything like this?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

"It was just a guess, based on what we read and what you and I discussed on the phone," Morgan answered. "You mentioned a younger sister. Has she ever talked about anything like what you saw?"

"I don't remember," Angela replied.

"Well, this is a very interesting case. We'd love to know more. Is your sister still alive?" Morgan asked.

"I don't think so."

"What was her name?" Talia asked.

"Edith. She married someone named Savage."

"Thank you."

"Are you okay?" Talia later asked Morgan. "You look like you zoned out a bit there."

"Yeah, when she was describing her young sister sleeping, I got an image from her mind."

"Yeah, so did I," Talia remarked. "What's important about her sister?"

"I'm not sure. She seemed vaguely familiar."

Later in a hotel room, Talia rummaged through some online files.

"This must be them," Talia announced.

Morgan approached Talia.

"Joshua and Edith Savage."

"I think that's my grandmother."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 3

"Rebecca Briner, born March 10, 1899 as Rebecca Elizabeth Fox," Russell read on a folder as he and Talia walked into an office occupied by Jed and Morgan.

"Rusell, Talia," Jed acknowledged. "Thanks for helping Morgan with this research."

"Our pleasure, of course," Talia responded.

"So, this might be the first Tomorrow Person," said Jed.

"There's nothing spectacular we could find about her lineage or her upbringing," Talia said.

"But absence of evidence is not evidence of absence," Jed finished.

"Exactly," Talia responded.

"We knew that was a possibility," said Jed. "Nonetheless, we've been interested in TP history and this is good to know. We also have something to give to Heston's administration."

"Are you playing nice with them?" Russell asked.

"I'm trying my best to be tactful and patient," Jed responded.

"But?" Talia asked.

"It's good that I'm not a Tomorrow Person. I think I've left every meeting during the past year with the urge to rip out some throats."

"Talia said this might be your great-grandmother," Russell said to Morgan.

"Yes. Unfortunately, my relationship with my parents and their relationships with their parents weren't very good, so I never knew much about this part of my family. I never met my grandmother or even knew she was married to someone else before she married my grandfather."

"I guess tracking your parents down won't help much," Russell commented.

"No. They told me once that they cut off contact right before my older sister was born."

Later in the evening, Jed, Morgan, and Selaine had take-out dinner at the office.

"If you're willing, I'd like to take a sample of your DNA," Jed said.

"Sure."

Two days later, Morgan visited Jed at work with Selaine. She could already tell how entranced he was by something on his computer screen.

"Jed? When's the last time you blinked?"

"We need to find your sister."

"What is it?"

"Your DNA," Jed replied. "Your profile triggered a red flag in my system because it has a high kinship index with John."

"Young?"

"Yeah."

"You think he's my nephew?"

"It's a strong possibility." Jed sighed. "Since the day I took him to Ultra, I was debating whether or not I should try to find John's parents. It wouldn't have actually mattered because I didn't have any good leads, but now I do. I'd like to do something about it."

"Okay. I know where to start."

"Where?"

"Michigan's upper peninsula. I'll connect to The Avengers Network station in Lansing and see if there's been any TP activity of interest there."

"It'd make sense if she is a TP," said Jed. "Maybe you should take Talia with you if you head over there. You two seemed to work well together."

"Sure, I'll reach out and gauge her interest."

Jed took Selaine into his arms. "It looks like you got born into a very complicated bloodline."

"Are you complaining?" Morgan asked jocularly.

Jed smiled. "Of course not."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 4

"When's the last time you two had any communication?" Talia asked Morgan as the pair approached a book store in a mall.

"When we were teenagers, but I've been keeping track of her and I know she's been keeping track of me."

"And you weren't positive if she's a TP or not?"

"I did a good job hiding that part of myself. She would have, too."

A woman exited the store.

"Helen," Morgan called out.

Helen turned around. "Morgan? What are you doing here?"

"I've been trying to find you."

"What for?" Helen asked. She noticed Talia next to Morgan.

"Talia," Morgan began. "This is - "

"I'm Helen Valente."

"It's good to meet you," Talia responded. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Why?"

"It's about the son that you gave up for adoption."

"How did you know about that?"

"Because he works for my husband. They're very close."

Morgan, Talia, and Helen sat down for lunch at the mall's food court.

"Do you know who his father is?" Talia asked.

"Was," Helen corrected. "Greg Hartz. I'll never forget him, but he died a long time ago in an accident."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Talia. "Where did Young come from, then?"

"It was given to John by someone in Colorado's state government. Helen, would you be interested in coming to New York?" Morgan asked.

"To meet John?"

"To meet Jed. John is currently away for an indefinite period of time, but Jed would really like to meet you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I think that'd be good. You'd be so proud of the man John has become, and Jed is responsible for a big part of that."

"Let me think about it. Dan just left for a business trip and I wouldn't mind traveling myself."

"Does Dan know about Greg or that you gave up a child?" Talia asked.

Helen nodded.


	22. Chapter 22

Volume 6: The Avengers Network

Chapter 1

Stephen and Cara met with Jed and Roger in Jed's office. They were on speakerphone with President Heston, Secretary McNally, and Adam Garcia.

"No one suspects Lauren O'Dea of having anything to do with what happened in her classroom," Stephen explained.

"She's been feigning ignorance and everyone believes her," Cara added.

"Meredith told me that she and Ms. O'Dea are pretending like nothing happened," said Heston.

"I think people at school are operating under the assumption that some students were just making trouble," Cara said.

"So in your opinion, everything is contained," Garcia noted.

"Correct."

"Good," Heston responded.

"Now, on to Meredith. Cara, Stephen, you've mentioned there's been some trouble before?" Garcia asked.

Cara and Stephen looked at each other.

" _Tell the truth_ ," Jed thought, expecting everyone else in the room to pick it up.

"She teleported out of her house recently," Cara answered.

"Yes, Ross told me about that," Heston replied. "She wouldn't say where she went, but she's not forbidden from teleporting."

"She teleported to school in order to cheat on a test," Stephen explained.

"There were also a couple other moments where we felt she was crossing the line in respecting privacy," added Cara. "I think Meredith's attitude in general about her powers is concerning. She's too focused on power and not enough on other people."

"So what do you propose?" Heston asked. "Suppression cuffs?"

"She has crossed the line," Garcia answered. "She's not someone who deserves powers."

"What are you talking about?" asked Heston.

"Mr. President, the FBI is confident in the serum that the biologists there have developed to remove powers."

"Absolutely not," Heston replied. "It's not safe."

"Doctors Starr and Macfarlane believe it is. It's not like they can conduct animal trials, but they think it's safe."

"That's not reassuring," Heston countered. "This also isn't fair."

"Mr. President," McNally interjected. "In the words of FBI's liaisons to Doctor Price, we in the government are held to a higher standard. I believe this is more than fair."

Roger looked at Jed in confusion.

"Consequences for someone like Meredith establish a crucial precedent," McNally continued. "Giving her the serum demonstrates your fairness and your resolve to handle TP affairs appropriately."

Cara sighed. "We talked about consequences with Meredith before. She said the president would never let that happen to her."

"That's a dangerous attitude," Garcia commented. "Mr. President, I can't imagine what must be going on through your head now, but I believe this is the right thing to do."

"You aren't even confirmed yet," Heston said under his breath.

"That doesn't mean he's wrong, Mr. President," Jed interjected. "Meredith is not someone who should have powers and if this was anyone else, you'd think that Garcia's proposal is a mercy. It's clear that Meredith is someone who will cross the line again and you nominated Garcia because he would be strict with TPs."

"There's that callous venom you've been holding back, Doctor Price," Heston responded.

"I've been playing politics long enough. It's time to get back to real work."

Heston sighed and remained silent for several seconds. "I'd like you to review the FBI's work on the serum. If you think it's safe, we'll proceed."

"Yes, sir."

The phone conversation soon ended and Cara and Stephen left Jed's office, leaving Roger there.

"Have you been talking to The Secretary of Defense? Is that how she knew what the liaison said?" Roger asked.

"Yeah, we've been talking more and more recently."

Two days later, Jed, Roger, Cara, and Stephen went to The White House, where President Heston, the Secretary of Defense, the Acting Director of the FBI, and Adam Garcia were. Meredith entered with a doctor and her parents.

John teleported into the room, but kept himself from fully materializing, thereby preventing anyone from noticing his presence.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" President Heston asked Meredith.

Meredith glared at her grandfather. "I'm a Tomorrow Person using the powers I have a right to. I didn't do anything wrong."

Heston looked down, not wanting to reply.

"We've already discussed this to death, Meredith," said Ross. "I think this is for the best, including for you."

There was silence in the room as Meredith sat down on a chair. The doctor sanitized a spot on Meredith's left arm and injected the serum.

Meredith's parents held her as Meredith convulsed for several seconds. Meredith soon slumped in her chair, unconscious.

Roger, Stephen, and Cara looked at each other in concern.

" _I'm not picking up any cognitive activity_ ," Cara thought.

" _Me neither_ ," Roger concurred.

"Meredith?" Ross asked. He shook Meredith slightly. "Doctor Starr?"

Brett Starr looked over Meredith. "Her pulse and breathing are regular."

No one noticed John wavering in his non-corporeal form.

Meredith suddenly jolted awake.

Roger stood up, frowning. "Something's wrong."

"Dad? Stephen?" Meredith quietly said.

"Luca?!" Roger exclaimed.

"What's going on?" the President asked.

"It's me," Luca answered in Meredith's body.

"I don't understand," Stephen stated.

"Wait," Meredith's mother, Kay, interrupted. "What's happening? Who's Luca?"

"I'm not your Luca. I'm from the future. I came with John. My John."

"What happened to Meredith?" President Heston asked.

"She's brain dead. Whatever you gave her messed her up. Let me sift through her memories and find out what else has been happening to her . . . "

President Heston glared at Adam Garcia. "Garcia! What did you do?"

"This wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know what to say. Doctor Price, you agreed that it was safe. You looked over everything, didn't you?"

"How could this have happened?" Kay Heston asked.

"I looked over every line of those seventeen pages," Jed offered.

"There were twenty," said Garcia. "What did you miss?"

"You gave me seventeen pages of the T3301-2 parameters," Jed answered.

"No, I gave you twenty pages of T3301-3!"

Jed shook his head.

President Heston rushed to Luca's and Meredith's side. "Meredith, are you there?"

Luca opened Meredith's eyes. "Is this who I became? Was I like this?"

" _Not exactly_ ," John thought to Luca. " _However, this is similar to how the older me remembers you. You and Meredith don't seem very different in your attitudes._ "

"I was wrong," said Luca. "How did I lose sight of who I was?"

" _You surrounded yourself with TP sycophants, Luca. You weren't willing to hear another view. And you were grieving. There was so much going on, and you weren't able to handle it._ "

"I'm sorry."

" _I'm not judging you, Luca, nor should I. Don't apologize to me,_ " John replied.

Luca looked up at everyone. "My name is Luca. I'm from the future in which TP policies failed. The president ordered an air strike against a population of TPs. A civil war was inevitable . . ." Luca's breathing increased.

"Luca?" Roger asked.

"I'm disappearing just like the other John did. This John was my anchor, but I left him."

" _Come back to me, Luca,_ " John thought.

" _It's too late. There's nothing we can do._ "

Luca vanished, leaving the room silent until Dr. Starr examined Meredith's body.

"Everything physical is normal," Doctor Starr concluded.

"Then what happened to Meredith?" Kay asked.

"She's gone," Roger answered.

President Heston punched Garcia across the face and continued his assault until Roger and Jed pulled him off.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 2

"I do feel bad for the Hestons," Roger told Jed in the latter's office.

"I do, too," Jed responded. "Meredith didn't deserve it."

"But Garcia sending you the wrong document? That's idiotic."

"He didn't."

"What?" Roger asked.

"I had John follow Garcia. He did some things to get Garcia discredited. One of them was deleting an email on Garcia's computer and then sending me a different email immediately after."

"Doctor Price, the Secretary of Defense on line one," Dave interrupted.

"Thanks. Hello, Madam Secretary. I've put you on speakerphone and Roger Jameson and John Young are here, too."

"Anyone else?" McNally asked.

"No," Jed answered.

"Were you able to get your hands on the formula that Garcia intended you to see?"

"Yes," Jed answered. "It wouldn't have worked. It's similar to a prototype that Ultra developed and then discarded. It was safe, but useless."

"You knew about this?" Roger asked McNally.

"Yes, I did. Doctor Price and I have been discussing a lot of things recently. Meredith Heston's fate was very unfortunate, but it was a risk that was appropriate given the circumstances."

"Do you know who the next nominee for FBI director will be?" Jed asked.

"I heard that it'll be Juan Kehoe the Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico, former Congresswoman Elliot Smith of Ohio, or former Associate Deputy Attorney General Ernestine Penn. My money's on Penn. All three have impressive backgrounds in law enforcement."

"I know them," Jed replied. "They're good people. We'd work well with either of them."

"In the meantime, Drew Chan will be the acting FBI director. The president has transferred responsibility of TP affairs back to me and I'm to transfer some of my current responsibilities to my undersecretaries."

"Good," Jed replied.

"I have a meeting now. We'll speak again soon."

"Thank you, Secretary."

"You know, it wouldn't surprise me at all if McNally got Heston to keep her on, rather than the other way around," Roger commented.

"It wouldn't be surprising to me, either."

Roger turned to John. "No more hiding for you."

"I'm glad," John responded. "I think Astrid is getting tired of dates in Limbo." John teleported away.

Jed glanced at Roger.

"What's wrong?" Roger asked.

"I don't know. He's been distant with me. He even muted our bond."

"What do you think is going on?"

"He won't tell me, but I'm certain he has all his memories back."

"Including the time when you were still at Ultra and he was at The Refuge," Roger realized.

"Yeah," Jed replied.

"Those were difficult times for him. You just need to give him some space to sort everything out."

Morgan appeared with Helen.

"Can you reach out to John?" Jed asked Roger. "Get him to come back?"

Morgan and Helen entered John's office.

"Hi, I'm Jed Price. You must be Helen Valente."

"Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. Are you Roger Jameson?"

"Yes. Good to meet you."

John teleported back into the office.

"John," Jed addressed quietly.

"You're John?" Helen asked.

"Yes, I am."

"John, this is my sister Helen Valente. She's your biological mother."

Helen offered a hand and John glanced at Roger.

"Go ahead," Roger urged.

"Hi, John," said Helen.

"What?" John asked.

"It's nice to meet you."

Roger smiled. "John, meet your mother. Now shake her hand."

John finally shook the hand in front of him. "Hi . . ."

"You can call me whatever you want, John. I won't be offended either way."

"Okay," John answered.

The next evening, John and Astrid had a date at Acadia National Park with carry-out food.

"Your memories and your mother back all of a sudden," Astrid summarized. "That's incredible. What did you and your mother do?"

"We teleported to Central Park and just walked around, talking. We did that again today."

"How was that?" Astrid asked.

"It was nice. She's not expecting me to be a doting son, but she would like to get to know me better. It's good."

"And you're back to work now with Adam Garcia gone?"

"Yeah. The president is trying to step back from TP stuff, too."

"Another big change for you," Astrid commented.

"Some things are the same though. When I felt my memories coming back, there was a lot of Cara in them and how much I loved her. There was also you and how much you meant to me. I'm very glad and very lucky to get to fall in love with you twice."

Astrid kissed John's lips. "I love you, too."

"Then, will you marry me?"

Later in the evening, Jed was watching television at home on a couch. John teleported in and sat next to Jed. In silence, he eventually put his head on Jed's left shoulder.

"Really?" Jed asked, after another long moment of silence.

"Yeah," John answered. "I just needed some time."

"And we're okay now?"

"Yeah, because what happened at Ultra doesn't change what we've been through since you gave me Roger's powers. Even if it did, what matters to me is that when we thought Bathory was going to succeed, we came together to help Roger and we came together to say good-bye. My mom being back doesn't change anything, either."

Jed put an arm around John and the two continued to watch television until John broke another moment of silence.

"I'm keeping my current look, though. Your rules take too long to deal with in the mornings."

"I just want my employees to look professional," Jed explained.

"Hey, do you remember when you shot at me? How many times was that? Three? Four?"

Jed laughed. "Okay, you can keep your rebel look. Just don't put your bangs up like you did before. You looked like emo Tintin on steroids."

"Good. I'm engaged now, by the way."


	24. Chapter 24

Thanks for getting this far. Here's my crazy idea for the origin of TP powers.

* * *

Chapter 3

Drifting through time, John Young found himself with no sense of control. He felt being pulled into the past. He thought about the TPs he knew, trying to use them as anchors. A figure appeared, speeding towards him.

"Luca?"

"What's happening, John? I was talking to people in The White House and now I'm here."

"I don't know. We're not supposed to be here. I changed time, which means we aren't supposed to exist the way we do. Whatever is happening to us must be because we're paradoxes."

Both John and Luca started to feel themselves being pulled apart.

"I think this is the end for us, Luca."

"I don't want to die, John."

"A part of us will remain. I can feel it."

John and Luca gradually lost their corporeal forms. John tried to anchor himself to someone as he continued traveling into the past and reached out to a pregnant woman who recently conceived twins. He pulled two names out of her head, Cyrus and Nathan, and failing to anchor himself, tried to reach out again, briefly making contact with one of the sons of the woman.

"John!" Luca cried.

"Reach out to me."

John and Luca made contact with each other. No longer having bodies, but being pure psionic energy, the two merged.

"I don't know what is going to happen, but I want my other self to know what's happening. Maybe he can figure it out."

John and Luca noticed their trip slowing down, and it finally stopped. They sensed around.

"It's June, 1898."

"It feels like I'm falling asleep."

"I feel it, too. You realize what it is, right?"

"I do."

"I'm going to try something, Luca. I'm going to use what's left of ourselves to broadcast something to myself in 2017. I think that'll be the end of us."

"It was really good to know you, really; despite what happened the past couple decades."

"It was good to know you, too, Luca. Good-bye."

With the last reserves of energy available to them, John and Luca sent a telepathic message out and then degraded into energy scattered across the globe, though remaining densest in the eastern United States.

In 2017, John, Jed, and Roger were waiting at Jed's office when John was hit by the telepathic message.

"John? What's wrong?" Jed asked.

John tried to answer, but only grunts came out.

"He's intercepting something," Roger explained.

John collapsed, breathing heavily.

"It's my future self," John explained. "He went back to the past with the future Luca."

"What are they doing in the past?" asked Jed.

John looked at Roger. "That's why your blood was so compatible with me. That's how I became so powerful and why Luca will be, too."

"What's going on?" Roger asked.

"It's me and Luca. In the past, they were dissipating into pure energy. I think that's where TP powers come from. TPs are able to tap into the energy that Luca and I became. When he was going into the past, the other John tried to anchor to someone. He reached out to people he knew, TPs. That helped them become TPs. Other TPs just developed the ability to access that energy on their own."

"How far back does it go?" Jed asked.

"They stopped in June, 1898."

"That's about when Rebecca Briner would have been conceived," Jed realized.

Dave appeared at the door and John composed himself.

"Excuse me, Congressman Hensley is here."

"Give us a moment," John requested.

"I'm fine," John tried to assure.

"Okay, show him in," ordered Jed.

"He's going to be president one day," John quietly said.

"Congressman, this is John Young. John, this is Congressman Nicholas Hensley."

"Hello, Mr. Young. I've heard so much about you and have been looking forward to meeting you."

"Likewise," John responded.

"I hear changes are coming with your role in TP affairs," said Roger.

"Yes. My committee will play a bigger role. I don't think the president was too thrilled with the idea, but it was a necessary concession for him to make with everything that went down. He didn't want the executive branch to bear sole responsibility."

"Well, then. Let's talk more. Have a seat."

"I think what happened to Meredith was abominable," Hensley said as he sat down. "I want to make sure that Tomorrow People are treated with the dignity that they deserve."

"I'm glad to hear that," Roger commented. "There can't be any more research into removing powers and I can assure you that research into transferring powers won't go anywhere."

"My committee will never fund either research. I promise you that. You can expect me to look out for the TP community. Maybe we could even establish safe havens for Tomorrow People."

"Congressman, your take on all this is very reassuring," said John. "We are really glad to have an ally like you in Congress. I think, though, that isolating Tomorrow People wouldn't be a good idea. We belong with the rest of humanity, not separate from it. Being able to live together with normal people is vital to us and it shows that we really are just like any other person. We just have some powers. Also, if knowledge about TPs becomes public, it will be beneficial to know that TPs and normal people have been co-existing without any problems. I know all of this integration will take a lot of work and effort to truly work, but I believe it will normalize TP powers and be the best option. Will you help us with this?"

"Of course."

Elsewhere, Luca and Sophie practiced their telekinetic abilities at The Refuge until Stephen and Irene entered.

"Hey, guys. How long have you two been going at this?"

"About twenty minutes," Sophia answered.

"Interested in seeing a movie? Cara's looking at showtimes. I'm going to pick up Astrid soon. She said she has some big news."

"We haven't been at this long enough," Luca responded.

"Don't worry about this," said Stephen. He put an arm around Luca's shoulders. "We need to enjoy everything else in life, too."

"You two have been doing great work," Irene said. "It's good to take a break every now and then."

"Appreciate life outside these walls," Stephen added. "There's more to us than our TP powers, like family. We haven't been spending as much time lately because of training and everything else. Let's change that."

"Are you feeling okay?" Luca asked. "You're being weirder than usual."

"Don't worry, Luca. Things are fine, and they're going to stay that way."

* * *

And that's the end. Thanks again for reading.


End file.
